Top Secret, Ultra-Exciting, Leaked Paparazzi Footage

You would not believe what I found on the interwebs today: Top secret, ultra-exciting, leaked paparazzi footage of Sonlight's 2009 catalog ...over a month before the release date!

It's just a proof copy of the catalog, but I still can't believe someone got this footage out of the building <snicker>. How cool is that?



Want to get in on the firestorm of discussion that is sure to erupt because of this? Of course you do! So hop on over to the forums and pitch in your two cents... after you comment here first, of course <smile>.


In other news, Bo added a new feature to our package pages that I suggested. Naturally, I'm pretty excited.

Can you guess what we changed?


Okay, that's all for today. Just a few fun--or, at least, I think they're fun--things for you to view over the weekend.

See you all on Monday!

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Tutorial: Affiliate Links

I love making tutorials.

Today I was able to create a new Affiliate linking tutorial. So, yesterday's post is now basically obsolete. And now you have less of an excuse if you haven't already become a Sonlight Affiliate <smile>.

Other news?

...well, you'll have to come back for that tomorrow <smile>.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Possessive, Passive, Gerunds, and Affilate Links

Sonlight's website has a bunch of pages. There's just a lot you can learn about Sonlight. But sometimes this huge amount of content makes it hard for us to catch all the problems.

Take today, for instance: Are the Sonlight IGs Instructor Guides, Instructors Guides, Instructor's Guides, or Instructors' Guides?

After talking it over with Laura Lee, one of the writers here at Sonlight, I learned that currently the official phrase is "Sonlight^® Instructor's Guides."

Oh.

<cough>

The IG page has now been updated from "Sonlight's Instructor Guides" to reflect this change in possessive case.

...but that sentence is passive voice. And that's not good writing. ...but "writing" is a gerund, which should also be avoided, thus requiring a rewrite:

I have updated the IG page. No other corrections in what I have written are required.

There is still much work for me to do. Today, while looking into building an Affiliate link, I ran across the Affiliate Links Guidelines page. As I looked at the sample HTML, I realized that some of it is wrong.

So, I added that to my list of things to improve.

The good news is that this is life: A constant opportunity to improve. Sometimes it's little things, like broken web links; other times it's big things, like character issues.

May you see real growth in your life--and in the lives of those closest to you--today.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

This World is Mad

I've been saying that this world is mad quite a lot lately. Perhaps that has less to do with the state of the world and more to do with the fact that I get stuck on certain phrases, but that's not entirely the point.

This morning I read a post that featured a picture of two smiling girls who were carrying posters that said things like, "God Hates America." And that just threw me for a loop. Smiling. Apparently genuinely happy. Declaring God's intense hatred toward us.

Huh?

After a very brief Google search [read: I didn't have to leave page 1], I came to the conclusion that Westboro Baptist Church is actively setting fire to bridges.


Burning Bridges

And they seem to be burning the bridge on both sides: I don't think they're acting very Christ-like.

In fact, Rob Bell makes some good points about how it doesn't seem to be working. If you're not so much into Rob, perhaps you'll find Yancey a bit more compelling.

...

On the other hand, how do we build toward those who focus on passages like Malachi 1:2-3?

Back in high school I was rather... pushy... in how I talked with others about my beliefs. I was vocal. I cared. I really wanted people to see the truth. And one day I started to say something and a girl near me said, "Stop it, Luke. I don't want to hear it. Just stop."

That was probably the first time I had to consider the option of keeping quiet.

And perhaps this all comes down to a question that I mentioned yesterday: Who cares more about your soul: The person who lets you come to your own conclusions, or the one who says, "Turn or burn"? And who thinks they are more effective?

Smiling girls. Bullhorns. Bridges.

That's a recipe for madness if I've ever seen one.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Fundamental Worldview

"Worldview" is one of those words that was tossed around in Bible college as if by sheer frequency of use it would gain more meaning. The major problem in discussing worldviews at Biola was that we all came from basically the same one. How do we get a clear picture of a the Buddhist mindset as a group of Christian kids in a Bible class?

I have had the tremendous benefit of a dad who, when everyone is in agreement, takes the opposite side just to make sure all the pieces fit together. And so I was raised on a good dose of questions like

• What does it matter that the Bible is inerrant if we can't interpret it perfectly?
  
• Who cares more about your soul: The missionary that lets you come to your own conclusions, or the militant person who says, "Accept my god or I chop off your head"?
  
• And these kinds of questions continue to today.

In fact, I've heard that during some Bible studies people have asked my dad, "Are you even a Christian?" They can't fathom how anyone who follows Christ could ask the kinds of questions he presents.

But we need to be willing to confront such questions. Granted, not everyone is as interested in everything as my dad is. And there are subjects that we must simply throw up our hands and say, "I don't know. Perhaps someone smarter than me will figure it out in the future."

We can't know everything; we must pick our battles. Knowing this, we still must never cover our ears and run away from the questions and the views of others. We must consider them, think about them, and respond.

We will be of no benefit to others if we try to shut them out.

But how do we talk to one another if we come from radically different worldviews? The very foundations of existence are different. Some examples (and, please, feel free to correct my misrepresentations where they occur <smile>):

Liberals believe government is the power that can help us. Libertarians believe the government does nothing but harm us.

Fundamentalists believe the world is set against us. Atheists believe the world is merely where we exist.

Public schoolers believe that socialization is connection with friends and peers. Homeschoolers believe socialization is connection with family and friends.

...politics, religion, education... three big cans of worms. And why?

Different worldviews.

I am so glad for my education with Sonlight that began to prepare me for my encounters with worldviews that differ from mine. To this day, I still enjoy talking with people with whom I disagree because it is my hope that I will learn to see things from their perspective and so better communicate my own. But every once in a while, there comes a point where the gap between us is so large that bridge building takes significant amounts of work.

May you always take the time to build bridges to those around you and never be the one to burn them.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

The Importance of Your Past

I'm here at my Alma Mater: Biola.

They are trying to recruit me to become the Alumni Chapter Leader for the Denver area. And while we're here, we're spending time with Brittany's family. So, two birds; one stone; good stuff.

I was recently on campus right before Christmas, so not much has changed in these few months. But it's still interesting to be back where I went to college and met my wife. It's fun to walk the campus again. It's good to reminisce and talk about the future.

Biola shaped who I am today. I learned many lessons--more from the people I was surrounded with than the classes themselves. And that's because education has a lot to do with the environment and the people supporting you. The material you study is very important, yes, but even public school teachers know that parental involvement is commonly the key to a student's success. In college, that role is often filled by classmates, friends, and faculty. And that is why where you go to school is such a big decision that dramatically influences the person you become.

As I walked the campus today, my thoughts went back to my early years of education. If the environment and support I found at Biola was so important to my formation, how much more were those early years at home?

Where better to find the support and love you need to thrive in those pivotal early years than in the home?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Gotta Fly!

Sorry, friends. My plane to California takes off in two and a half hours and I still need to get to the airport.

Gotta fly!

[A pun! Shocking!]

Why am I suddenly going to California?

Any guesses? (And, no, sadly, it has nothing to do with my adoption... sorry).

I hope to have a chance to catch up on all the blogs I didn't get to today, and fill you in with more details tomorrow.

Hope your Thursday has been less crazy that mine <smile>.

Peace!

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

The Borg Cube is Moving

Every once in a while a major force requires that we change or assimilate to continue to function. Equate such things--children, moving, switching jobs, homeschooling--to the Borg.

If you try to fight, you will be crushed.

"Resistance is futile."

Tomorrow, I will move my cube. Unfortunately, my cube isn't nearly as cool as the one in Star Trek, but it is where I work. And to do my work even better, I have to move. It's a good thing, but it will take a lot of work and adjustment.

Has homeschooling--or some other aspect of your life--begun to feel like a force threatening to assimilate you into oblivion? Are you feeling like you're losing yourself in the day-to-day tasks of life?

Or are you concerned about a change that is about to happen? A new job? Another child? An unfamiliar subject (e.g. calculus)?

If so, take heart! These are opportunities for you to move forward, gain new skills, and find joy in ways you have never experience before. Granted, it may be hard, require self-sacrifice, and be completely unpleasant at times.

In some cases, resistance is futile--and not even a good thing to do. In other situtations, we must stand up and beat back the overwhelming flood that is threatening us, our children, and perhaps, even humanity itself.

And here some people thought I was just moving to another part of the office.

May you have victory in the mundane areas of your life as well.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Prospective Perspective

Every day at 8:30am MST, we here at Sonlight have the opportunity to get together in small groups and pray. It isn't mandatory, but it is encouraged.

We pray for each other--like the headache I had this morning which seems to have finally decided to move on.

We pray for families who submit prayer requests or I notice out on the blogosphere.

And we pray for various people groups around the world. We use the Global Prayer Digest as a tool to help us learn about and pray for others. You can download the .pdfs for free if you want to try it out with your family.

Praying for others is a great way to help yourself grow. Even if you aren't religious at all, gaining a broader world perspective through prayer digests is a great thing. It helps us think beyond ourselves and consider the issues plaguing our earth. Sonlight carries a nice "coffee table" type book--though it's not hardbound--that offers an introduction to many unevangelized countries and peoples of the world. It's another tool you could use to help gain a more global perspective.

What fascinates me--but I'm rather odd--is that some people are disgusted by the idea of praying for unreached people groups. I can understand that praying for another's salvation can seem horribly self-righteous if you do not see a need for man's redemption. If you fit into this category, please take the positives from this post: Learn about others and think about what you can do to make the world a better place.

But what if you go beyond merely feeling insulted for these people, and, instead, you think I'm rather a fool for praying? What if you've come to the conclusion that God is imaginary? There's a site dedicated to this very idea. I encourage everyone--especially you praying Christians out there--to at least give this guy two minutes and twenty seconds of your time and consider the first of his 10 questions for Christians.

I find it interesting, and I hope you do as well. ...but I've already admitted to being a little strange in this regard <smile>.

How would you respond?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

P.S. If you have a few seconds to see something cool, check out the newly redesigned MathTacular.com. It's sweet!

Science, Bias, and Presuppositions

Again and again the themes of science, bias, and presupppositions kept cropping up all across the blogosphere today.


Across the Blogosphere (...I didn't even like that movie)

So, I have to talk about.

The first post was Mike Brotherton's rant against homeschooling. Well, not homeschooling, but the problems with "religious indoctrination" when it comes to science. Basically, he doesn't like "science fairs" where all exhibits should include a Scripture reference and relate all areas of science to the Creator of the universe. This is intellectually dishonest, and has very little to do with science, especially since the list of suggested topics contains a bunch of "why" questions... something which science can't answer. In short, we're starting with a presupposition and working toward it.

Then I hit a fascinating, and rather pointed, post by Stephen Douglas about Why Creationists are Creationists. He states that Creationists have a beef with Evolutionary Theory not on the grounds of science, but rather on the basis of their theological beliefs about the nature of the Genesis account.

Other people were talking about this as well, so I feel the need to jump in.

1. It's true: In the cited cases these are not science questions and have nothing to do with the scientific method.

2. From my observation, however, much of the study of evolution has been done largely apart from the scientific method as well: We simply can't 1. Use our experience to 2. Form a conjecture whereby we can 3. Deduce a prediction and then 4. Test--Wikipedia--when it comes to forming new species. Instead, we have to rely on other observations, ideas, and thought-experiments. We look through what we currently have and try to figure out why that may be the case.

3. While there is compelling research which is producing very interesting cases for an evolutionary origin of the many species we have around us--some of which is not questioned by anyone; like, the many variations of dogs we have--I'm fairly confident there are actual scientific reasons to distrust the hypotheses of full-blown evolutionism.

4. It is true that Creationists come at these questions with a strong bias, but I think there is true scientific inquiry in some cases. On the other hand, Evolutionists come at these questions with their own strong bias, but they too engage in true scientific inquiry.

We simply can't escape our presuppositions. They are the basis--the bias--from which we operate. I've been reading my dad's blog with much interest as he wrestles with some of the evidence that is out there. It has been very informative and I have been looking into things on my own a little as well. And in my findings I came across a guy who said that the fossil record is constantly revealing the "missing links" between the species.

My wife, an archeology minor in college, rolled her eyes. "That's ridiculous," she said. "The only reason they are finding that kind of thing is because that's the only thing that you can get a grant for. I'd have to see actual evidence, and not just hear about it from someone who wants to find that kind of thing. The field of archeology simply isn't that cut and dry. There is no motivation to find variations within a species, only to find new species because that's what makes the headlines."

This post is already way too long, but I think my point is this: Our presuppositions dictate our biases. We have them, but we should allow them to be challenged. The problem I see is that many people write off the other side as either willfully ignorant--I've heard "f-ing retards" more than once--or evil and mislead--I've seen the equivalent of "godless heathen" more than once as well. From what I've seen, there is yet little truly convincing science on either side.

Though, despite that bias, I'm willing to hear the evidence, and I'll try to keep my brain engaged when you start presenting your ideas.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Natural Born Learners

(What better title for a Valentine's Day post than an allusion to a film about murdering psychopaths, right? [NB: I have not seen the aforementioned film])

How about some love?

Some homeschooling love, that is!

Dave, the brilliant artist who did the artwork for the covers of the MathTacular series, sent me a link to bornlearning.org. I haven't had time to really delve into the content of the site, but it looks like a great promotion for homeschooling.

...but it's not.

At least, it's not aware that it's a site dedicated to homeschooling. Instead, it seems to believe that it is about preparing children for school; in their words, they're trying to "boost school readiness."

It would be incredibly amusing, if it weren't so sad, that people so often miss the link between caring for your newborn and growing children and homeschooling. I want to shout: IT'S THE SAME THING!

Teaching your children to read is little different than teaching them to walk. Helping your daughter learn to eat with utensils is very similar to teaching her handwriting. Getting your son to know when to say "Geese" instead of "Gooses" is much like teaching him to spell. And if your child learned 2+2 while still at home, you've started teaching Algebra^*. And so, this site dedicated to "early learning" is demonstrating how easy, possible, and enjoyable it is to teach your children at home, at the park, and on the go.

That's a lesson homeschooling parents all over the world have learned.

I just wish that educational theorists would learn this lesson as well. It amazes me that despite having an entire section dedicated to the importance of connection in learning, the good people at bornlearning.org do not connect the dots and realize that homeschooling is one of the best ways to make that happen.

So...


Here's to Homeschooling!

Happy Valentine's Day. Have a great weekend full of love and affection for your friends and family.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

^*2+2=? is an Algebraic equation. You are solving for an unknown. It's just that in this case, the unknown is a ? instead of an x.

Like a Kid in a Clicking Store

...I know, it should be candy store, but that doesn't have much relevance for the web. So, in typical Luke fashion, I forced a pun into a colloquialism based on a cultural allusion.

I'm sick. I know. But you are free to remind me of that fact <smile>.

First up: A brand new forum to find out about the conventions Sonlight will be attending this year. If you like walking convention floors and want to meet up with some Sonlight folks, here's your source for details.


In other news, Jerri-Ann linked to a post where a woman chats about homeschooling and why she doesn't. She labeled it a "debate," so I, naturally, added my thoughts. I thought my points were solid, and I took the time to write them, so I'm sharing them with you. I'd be very interested in your thoughts on the matter.


Now for the thing that has be totally excited, much like a kid in a candy store, only it's me on the web: We're testing a new feature on Sonlight's Newcomer 1 page. I've been pushing for this thing for a while, and it's cool to see us begin to test it. What is this super-cool, totally awesome, terribly exciting new feature?

Customer action shots--at least, that's what ThinkGeek calls 'em.


Candy Store

Sadly, we are split testing this feature, so you may not see it when you click over. If that happens, there is something you can do...

[<shh> don't tell them I told you this: If you clear your computer's cookies it may give you the picture bar when you refresh the page... granted, that will also kill my ability to track how effective this blog has been, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for you, my close friends and confidants.]

That's all the link-love I have at the moment. But I'm also out of time.

Gotta run before the peoples find out I told you about that the cookie thing. Maybe I can convince them I was talking about sweets; you know, what with the candy theme of this post and all...

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Feeding the Problem

I tried to add an RSS feed of Sonlight's latest News and Announcements to this blog today, but something wasn't working. In fact, it still isn't working.

So I poked around online. Nothing. I searched the Blogger help forum. Still nothing. I even posted a plea for help. Yep--nothing.

I've been stymied by a system over which I have no control, and I have no idea what goes on in the background that could be causing the problem.

And it's really frustrating when that happens.

Granted, learning to let go of control is an important life lesson. Learning to adapt when something refuses to work is another vital skill. But in cases like these, that's not really what's at stake. In this instance, the danger is that I may just give up. There's nothing I can do, and so I must wait for someone else to do something. And that is a very dangerous lesson to learn; it promotes apathy and discourages creative problem solving.

...almost like the bureaucracy of educational systems. There are many aspects of public education--not to mention most other government-driven aspects of life--over which we have very little control. Buying into these systems promotes the idea that we must wait for the government--or other entity of authority--to come save us if something goes wrong. It stifles personal responsibility. In many cases, we end up with no control over what is happening, and have no way of truly finding the source of the problem.

Homeschooling, while potentially messier--like me piecing together code for an RSS widget--offers control and a hands-on approach to any issues that may arise.

May you find ways to overcome the obstacles you encounter today, even if you have to get your hands dirty. And if you're like me, and waiting on "the powers that be," may the red tape be cut, and the issue resolved satisfactorily. Remember: If you are not satisfied with the results, there are other options.

...but you may have to start doing something yourself.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Badges, Trademarks, the States... Oh My!

So, I totally recently told you to go hog wild with badges for Sonlight. Well, I just got out of a meeting where I was informed of a very special caveat to this whole thing, and that has to do with our Registered Trademarks (remember when I mentioned those a while back?).

Since I'm not clever enough to figure this all out, I'm getting some help from our lawyers on how to make this great for everyone. If I understand it right, if we don't make a few changes to the badges out there, we could lose control of our trademarks and nefarious people could take it for nefarious purposes. So, the message for today is:


Proceed with Caution

When I know more, I'll let you all know. This isn't fun for me because I love link love from all y'all, and I don't want to stifle that in any way. I'm your biggest fan of your being a fan of Sonlight--believe you me.

So that's got me a little bummed at the moment.

I need something to cheer me up. But what?

Oh, I know!

How about I see just how bad at geography I really am!
That's bound to make me feel chipper again!

Take the States test now! It actually is pretty fun to see just how completely lost I am without Google Maps...


Shannon


 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

41,000 and Meetup 2010

I pushed a button and sent an email to over 41,000 people today.

It was my first time doing something like that, and I was more than a little stressed. If you got the "Your Sonlight newsletter: A shot of homeschool mom adrenaline" in your inbox and everything worked on the technical side of things, let me know. If it didn't work at all, I don't want to know.

Okay, I do.

But I don't.

So be gentle.

Thanks.

*****

With the newsletter we have officially announced the 2010 Sonlight Meetup which will take place here in Colorado July 2-4th, 2010. That's right: You can come see Sonlight, hang out with other Sonlighters and meet me. How cool is that?

Pretty stinkin' cool, if you ask me.

Which you didn't, directly, but you're reading my blog, so it's almost like you did; at least, enough to make me feel like I am warranted sharing my opinion on this matter with you, my faithful readers--even if you aren't yet a faithful reader and have just stumbled upon this blog and are thinking to yourself, 'Self, what is up with this madman?'

In short: Come to the 2010 Meetup. And, at the very least, go check out the super cool "Event" I just put up on Sonlight's Facebook page.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Flexing the Flexible

When I flex, my arm goes from rather bony--both in width and color--to not quite so bony--in width, though the color remains the same deathly white <smile>.

It goes without saying: I don't flex to impress people.

But I do work on a "flex schedule." This means that I can work extra long Monday-Thursday and then take off early on Fridays (that's why my posts tend to come a few hours early on days like today... if anyone noticed).

Wish your life was more like mine (bony arms and all)?

Well, Sonlight extends this kind of flexibility to you with a 4-day option in the Instructor's Guides. For most subjects you have the option to make your Fridays even more relaxed than mine without having to rethink anything (you do, however, have to turn your IG pages over to the 4-day schedule printed on the back).

I helped put together some instruction videos on how to assemble your IG if you're at all interested.

They're from a couple years ago, but they give you a visual reference for what I'm talking about. ...on the subject of the 4-day schedule, not my bony arms or taking off early on Friday. Just to be clear <smile>.

So, even if you do a normal day of homeschooling on Fridays, may you have a great rest of the day, a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you all on Monday!

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Affiliates, Badges, Widgets and Other Things

Over the past couple of days we've been chatting--in the comments here--about getting some cool badges and graphic links for your blogs pointing back to Sonlight.

Well, it turns out that Kristy has had some Sonlight badges available for over a year. Too good to be true? Not at all. Go grab her homemade Sonlight badges now! And if you want to put together your own badges, by all means, do it!

But what if you want an official Sonlight badge? More than that, what if you want to potentially make tons of migs and megs of memories a few coppers? Too good to be true? Almost. But you can sign up and become a Sonlight affiliate and potentially get paid for sharing your Sonlight love. And that's cool!


Sonlight Affiliates

Now you're probably sitting there thinking, 'Luke, you obviously don't know me, man. I don't want to use no stinkin' pictures on my blog. I'm a text only kind of person. None of them fancy jpegs for me! You don't care about my wants.'

Not true at all! In fact, there is a way to spread the joy of homeschooling with all of your friends through personal heartwarming stories from homeschooling parents from around the world. And it's as easy as pushing a button or selecting copy/paste. Too good to be true? Sort of. You need to have a Blogger blog or know how to add an HTML/Java widget to your blog. Look over on the right there...

Yes, right here ----->

Find the Sonlight Moments Widget. If you're on Blogger, click the button. If not, follow the link to the HTML code and paste that into a widget on your own blog.

Wait, there's more! I know you. You're the kind of person who doesn't have time for blogs now that you've discovered Facebook. And so you don't think this post applies to you.

But you're mistaken. That's right: You can become a Fan of Sonlight with a simple click of your mouse. Too good to be true? Nope. Find out how easy it is to become a Fan of Sonlight.

Want more? I totally missed you? Rather not support Sonlight at all? In fact, you loathe Sonlight to your very core?

Tell me about it. There's a cool option to email me. And the comments section is always open (though I won't guarantee that your comment will stay if you spout bile at me <smile>).

And if you're somehow not yet my friend on Facebook, and you don't object too strongly, please add me. I always love more friends <smile>.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

"Promise Me You'll Eat My Legs"

Mary Grace wrote about the lifeboat value game. I found a slightly less weighted version of the "game" here. The basic premise: How do you choose who lives and who dies if forced to make that choice?

And this "game" is played in public middle schools.

A similar type question was posed in The Dark Knight--for those of you who are fans of that movie: Two ferries, one with women and children, the other with hardened criminals and guards; both have a detonator to the other boat. If neither of them pushes the button, they both blow up at midnight. The clock is ticking.

Mary Grace ties this to our dying society, and I think she makes some excellent points.

Bottom line: We've got to consider our worldview when we think about today's issues.

And today I ran into the opposite worldview on this whole "nurses offering to pray for patients" thing [NB: He drops a couple f-bombs in his post]. In fact, this issue is seen as a much wider political movement aimed at allowing all sorts of crazy things.


Greg

I can see why people would be bothered by medical professionals proselytizing their loved ones on their death bed. I even get the argument of: They wouldn't want me to offer to pray to Satan for them, would they? But offered in true humility, I think prayer is a very good thing.


This post feels really disjointed, and I think that's because I feel all these ideas are connected but I can't synthesize them down to a cohesive point. But if we hope to progress as a society, we must look to love one another, stand up against evil, and offer to give our seat in the lifeboat to someone else. And maybe that's it: The issues in all these instances is pride and misplaced loyalty/focus... because, honestly, who doesn't want to be cared for, who doesn't want to be respected, who doesn't want society to thrive?

I think what we often forget is that, sometimes, we have to offer to get out of boat to make that possible.

And that's a lesson you'll be able to work on much more effectively at home.

With that, I'm getting out of the boat.

Actually, I'm just going home for the evening.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

P.S. Bonus points to the person who knows where the title comes from... since my movie quote was so well accepted yesterday. And, yes, it does apply to today's post <smile>.

"Run for it, Marty!"

I love that moment in Back to the Future when Doc Brown says, "They found me. I don't know how, but they found me!" Cracks me up [NB: This movie has some language in it, and the quotes page reflects this fact].

And every once in a while someone asks me, "How did you find my blog?"

My answer is typically: I'm not sure. I read a lot of blogs, so maybe I was linked to you. Or perhaps you showed up in my Google Alerts for Sonlight or homeschooling.

So far no one has responded with: Who are you? Big Brother?^*

But that day can't be far off. ...especially since I use Twitter search to see what people are saying about Sonlight there. And sometimes I even respond. I imagine it's quite frightening. You type out a pithy 140 character statement about your homeschooling experience and suddenly this "Luke_Holzmann" guy has responded. Who is he? Why he is watching you? What's going on?

This fear keeps me from replying at times.

Like today:

I started preschool at age 4. I used Sonlight, but I recommend the cheap route: READ and use workbooks http://tinyurl.com/d774ne

I held back, even though I wanted to say: Amazon is not cheaper! We've tested that theory.

<sigh>

I know, I know: If you take the time to scrounge around for used copies--especially of a whole Core--you can make out like a bandit. And I'm thrilled for families who can now experience the joy of Sonlight because of opportunities like these. It just bugs me when people claim we're "expensive" when our packages are cheaper than trying to get the books from other retailers.

But I keep my mouth shut--only sharing my feelings with you, my trusted comrades--and bind my time. The day will come when
I will rule the world! <Bwa hahaha ha!>

...did I just say that out loud?

Come to think of it, perhaps you'd better run for it, Marty!

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

^*Though people do come back and ask about my connection to Sonlight. "I am the Media Relations Specialist and my parents founded the company."
Nepotism, friends, I haz it.

...that last part is mostly in jest, but I do feel the pressure of that stereotype.

Tekel and Other Writing on Walls

"You have been ... found wanting." ~ Daniel 5:27

If I ever see the phrase "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin" scratched into a public bathroom stall's wall, I will laugh. It would be just ironic enough to tickle my funny bone. But there are other times when people express a similar sentiment that isn't nearly so funny. Like the times people say, "You're not man enough to [insert important and manly ability here]." That isn't nice at all.

Of course, the majority of my readers are moms, so that example is not as personally applicable. Let me think.

...Oh! How about:

"You're not old enough to come with us!"

Shortly thereafter you will likely have a sobbing younger sibling to console.

Well, my dad has been lancing a boil of this nature recently on his blog. The claim he has been dealing with is that "Sonlight isn't Christian enough to be counted among the Christian Home Educators of Colorado."

And the overwhelming response?

"I'm so glad Sonlight isn't 'Christian' enough to be part of this group."

It all depends on whose scale you are using. If you are found wanting by someone with whom you disagree, that's not really a big deal. That would be the equivalent of caring about the judgment of the kid sitting in the bathroom stall and defacing public property. On the other hand, if you are found wanting by a group of well-respected people who have a lot of clout when it comes to your future... that's another thing entirely. If the finger of God wrote that, we'd better pay attention.

And so this issue revolves around the question of "What is Christian enough?" Clearly for some people in the homeschooling world, you must have a "metaphysic" that deluges everything you do with an overtly "Christian" message. And I would say that is writing on the other wall. Sonlight isn't like that--check out reasons 15 and 21, for example.

I wouldn't want to be part of a company that is truly found wanting. And while there is always room for improvement, Sonlight Curriculum is still the best^* Christian home education supplier both in Colorado and the world. We're not for everyone, but that's okay.

Sorry, I'm really close to this subject and I felt I needed to toss in my two cents.

I hope tomorrow I don't come in to a bunch of emails and comments telling me how much this post has been found wanting. <smile> Until then!

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

^* Just because I'm biased does not mean I'm wrong <smile>.